The most difficult aspect of cycling with traffic is seeing and hearing the anger, wrath, and
lack of humanity that is demonstrated by drivers of cars. People do not seem to look at
each other or regard each other as fellow inhabitants of this earth. They focus on the
vehicle that is in their way, or that is not driving in a fashion that is convenient for them. I
saw an example of this kind of behavior recently on Motor Ave. I was on my bike and
waiting for a light to turn green. Two oncoming cars were head to head, both were
making a left. One of the drivers was a handsome young man in a huge black Ford Blazer.
The other driver was a beautiful blonde woman in a Range Rover. The woman honked at
the man to get out of her way so that she could make her turn. The man gave her the
finger as he used is right hand to steer in front of her. He also honked at her. She honked
back. He honked back.. She laughed and turned after he made his turn. I felt so sad.
They were fighting like bitter siblings despite the fact that they had never met. Actually,
they did not even look at each other. This kind of thing happens all the time. I call them
the "honking wars." The cars do not stop until they are out of hearing range. Outside, on
the bike, I am exposed to the entire horn session.

My daily commute is a time in which I am free from the stress of work and I am given the
opportunity to burn off my excessive energy and enjoy the outdoors. However, I often
feel vulnerable commuting on my bike. In reality, I am very susceptible to being hit by a
car. I travel 30 miles everyday in very dense traffic. Lately, I have had this impulsive
desire to confront motorists who blatantly disobey all rules of human decency. For
example, I am cut off almost every day by drivers who turn into parking lots right away
instead of waiting for me to pass the driveway or store entrance. Instead of cursing
silently to myself, I have become extremely bold and somewhat stupid. On more than one
occasion, I have ridden up to a driver's window as they were finding a parking place and
have asked them if they saw me before they chose to turn. Every person I have
confronted admitted they saw me and said with embarrassment, that they were sorry.

Riding up to drivers and connecting with them while they are sitting in their metal boxes leaves
me feeling powerful and effective. I believe that some people need to be jolted into
reality. It is too easy to allow our anger, frustration, and feelings of loneliness take over
our sense of judgment. As a cyclist, I feel it is unfair that because they can kill me they
can ignore my presence on the road. This aggression is somewhat analogous to child or
animal abuse. The abuser has a great deal of unresolved anger which he or she projects
onto a helpless victim. As our streets become increasingly populated and our sense of
community diminishes, so do our morals and values. I have the opportunity and
misfortune to experience this phenomenon as a psychologist and a cyclist. However, one
of the main reasons I have chosen that profession and that mode of transport is to make a
positive and lasting impact on society. I hope I am not being too idealistic!